concatenation
by RiotKingAndWiltQueen
Summary: The upcoming UA Prom is yet another big event of the year. Heartfelt proposing is a tough task that requires effort, sincerity, and confidence. It sometimes gets too challenging, but that's where friends come in to help. - With an earnest stare and a repressed pout, Todoroki raised his hand. "Author-san, what if I don't have friends?"
1. overthinking

_A/N_

_This is crack treated seriously. I hope you peeps enjoy (≧▽≦)_

**Formal Disclaimer!**

**I do not own any elements, including but not limited to concepts, characters, setting, and plot, from 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia as they belong to their respective owner(s). This derivative work of fanfiction does not intend to hinder the original work and its profit but to promote it.**

* * *

If one were to multiply the variable _y, _which represents Todoroki's yes-I-can-handle-the-stress rank in percentage, and the variable _u, _which representsthe number of unhappy or exhausting school days there were, the result would be an all-important formula. It's the formula that computes for the number of years Todoroki loses from his total life expectancy.

(Please note that a scale of one to one hundred percent measures Todoroki's yes-I-can-handle-the-stress rank. One percent means that the stress isn't a bother, while a hundred percent indicates that the pressure has a hundred percent gotten to him.)

Moving on, the variable _d_, which is a decimal number scaled by the daddy issues index, can be added to the variable _o_, which is a number measured by the oh-my-lord meter. The sum is the rough estimate of how many times Todoroki wants to punch Endeavor in the face or the _other _alternative.

(Please note that the daddy issues index and the oh-my-god meter are confidential and classified. How they work must remain withheld from the public.)

Continuing, the variable _t_, which represents Todoroki's time to relax and unwind, divided by the variable _h_, which represents the number of hero work and studies he has to do, then multiplied by a hundred yields a certain percentage. It's the percentage of how much of his brain cells are still actually active and working.

(Please note that Todoroki is a mood.)

Lastly, the variable _i_, which measures how inspirational, intelligent, incredible, influential, intense, impassioning, intriguing, inspiriting, _irresistible _Izuku is, plus the variable _s_, which is a number scaled by the Shouto-being-a-smitten-teenager index, equals this magnificent, self-indulgent story!

(Please note that Todoroki is not allowed to score the variable _i _as infinity and that the variable _s _has a maximum range of infinity. Please also note that it's a general rule to omit the other twenty-one, starts-with-i modifiers describing Izuku, leaving only the nine adjectives observed above. Yes, nine—a fitting number.)

Multiply all the variables and get this equation—_yudothis=?_—one that no one wants to answer.

Just because Todoroki is comfortable with math doesn't mean that he loves it.

Just because the author doesn't have a beta to control the chaos doesn't mean the author can get away with anything, including starting a story with math.

That said—

[REDACTED]

(The author was supposed to put another set of math-related writing but miraculously decided against it at the last moment. You get to continue straight to the story. You're welcome.)

* * *

"I hate proms."

That was what Todoroki always told himself when he first heard of it, and that was what he kept telling himself all the time.

Out of all the problems he faced in the first year of Todoroki's studies at UA hero high school, this may have been the most difficult one.

He associated only two words with this prom—dancing and love. Without a single shred of doubt in any of the cells in his body, Todoroki detested dancing. But as much as he wanted to rule out love as just a pointless distraction, he saw how _that _went for Endeavor.

No, love was something that the two-toned teen wanted, needed, _craved_. It was something that he had so little in his life, and that was what made everything so much more complicated.

It was the second day of the second trimester, and things started spiraling downward for Todoroki after the announcement of the UA Prom. The only good news he had was that three separate proms for each year level equaled fewer people to see him embarrassed. (UA learned from their mistakes—specifically the first prom. Gathering the entire school for an event like prom was a nightmarish pandemonium.)

In his head, he two-toned teen played all the possible circumstances of what could happen if he were to attend the event. After he did, he decided that it would be much, much, _much_ better if he just skipped out on prom and hoped that his father wouldn't sign the reply slip or something.

Imagine Todoroki's surprise when Endeavor instantaneously sign the reply slip after he wordlessly handed the letter about prom to him.

Fate seemed to be mocking him so much, but the two-toned teen stood his ground. One way or another, he would find some loophole to avoid going to prom.

That was until _it_ happened.

Todoroki's velleity to even consider attending UA's prom had changed. It evolved from what he saw as the tiniest sliver of interest within him to go to prom into this disturbingly uncontainable obligation to show up in his best suit and tie.

The two-toned teen never thought that he would be like this. Todoroki didn't even know if he did have proper Sunday best at home! All he knew was that he hated prom. Though, that was what he thought before he weighed all the pros and cons.

In the first place, one of the main reasons why Todoroki was so pessimistic about prom because he didn't like parties—any type of them. (_I wonder why?_)

How did a tradition so Western, so American wriggle its way into Japan's arguably top hero school?

Oh, wait.

_All Might_.

(Todoroki read into the history of it. Of course, the retired number one just had to be too _All Might-y _his entire life.)

All Might had suggested it in his second year while studying in UA. Todoroki didn't know what possessed the teachers to make them even consider the idea, but they did.

The teachers have long ruminated about another day they could give for the students to catch their breaths amidst the rigorous curriculum and take it slow as a school, but they hadn't come up with anything yet. So when All Might went all out passionate and emphatic about this American tradition he had read about, they were ecstatic about it. A majority of the student body did as well! Nobody seemed opposed to a night where one could ease off, chill a little, eat and drink, chat with friends, catch up, find love.

That was how the school admin established it as an annual event. There would be three separate proms for each year level.

According to the internet, proms commonly happen at the end of the year. However, UA decided that they would hold it a few weeks into the second trimester to put everyone in a good mood right before the scheduled Hero Work-Studies of the trimester. Like how halfway through the week was usually the most stressful, the same went for the middle of the school year. Solution? Throw prom right in.

UA certainly was one of the most liberal and open-minded hero schools out there, which was why it had a multitude of alumni who were top-notch pro heroes, having been able to learn and flourish in a controlled but not suffocating environment. In UA, students could be any kind of hero they wanted to be—daylight, underground, rescue, support, intel, undercover, mentor, and so much more. It just happened Todoroki was an aspirant hero who didn't like proms. (_Y_et_.)_

The two-toned teen didn't want a night of uncomfortable socialization and _dancing_. Todoroki pretty much had three left feet. (Yes, you read right.) He was extremely apprehensive, knowing his dancing skills were so atrocious that he gave a new definition to the idiom of having two left feet.

(He had spent all of his childhood training—_cough_, getting abused—and had no time to have a single muscle of his body dance or let alone listen to music.)

There was also the fact that he was most likely going stag. The two-toned teen had to face the facts—he was awkward as hell. How was he supposed to get a date! (Not like he wanted one. Wait, did he?)

Well, Todoroki knew that a lot of the girls found him _handsome_ and _charming _as some didn't have the decency to reel in their comments when he was in the same room with them. But he honestly didn't know where they got that idea. Perhaps those female classmates of his needed to have their eyes and brains checked.

He had an unsightly scar on the left side of his ugly face that made him look even more hideous.

He was as lonely, aloof, and cold as a block of ice left forgotten at the back of a dingy walk-in freezer in a crummy motel.

Even so, the girls still stressed his attractiveness and prowess, so then he shouldn't worry. With all his _allure_, he was sure to get asked out by one of the girls.

That was the other problem, though.

Todoroki didn't like _girls_.

Yeah, he liked _guys_.

But he wasn't out.

Like hell, he would come out of the closet with a father who married not out of love but of the desire to inseminate and impregnate with his oh-so-perfect genes the compatibly quirked woman he practically bought to conceive the monster that he was now. Endeavor didn't understand anything about love. The then number two hero—now number one—would have probably forced him to marry and procreate with some girl with a well-matched quirk. That most likely was the only reason Endeavor had signed the reply slip—to maybe acquaint with suitable girls or, at least, learn how to. (Yes, the author has a straight face after having written this _fascinating_ paragraph.)

Right, pretty much no one identified that he was gay. Uh, maybe Fuyumi and Natsuo knew, but they loved and supported him too much to even let a whisper of it out if he didn't want them to.

Because no one else did know of his sexual orientation, he would still be bothered by some girls (_cough_, Ashido).

Aside from all _that_, Todoroki wouldn't want to put his poor date through such a disappointing night. Whoever it was would probably regret asking him out. It just fueled his desire _not_ to go to prom.

Though currently, Todoroki _did _desire to attend prom despite everything.

_Why?_

He was so hell-bent on _not_ going.

The only reason why Todoroki _would _agree to attend prom was his delusion that he would get his dream date.

_Ah, yes._

It was a few weeks before prom. No one in Class 1-A had proposed yet because Aizawa had only recently announced the news yesterday, on the first day of the second trimester.

Todoroki had read about the UA Prom before, so it wasn't too surprising for him, and he wasn't exactly thrilled about it. He remembered having nothing to do one lazy afternoon. The two-toned teen had scrolled through random articles on UA—prestige awards, previous festivals, and _prom_—because why not?

The rest of the class, however, seemed to have forgotten or just haven't heard about it, but they all seemed enthusiastic at varying levels. Such ranged from the simple_ I'm-pumped-for-it_ kind of cheers to the more eager_ this-has-changed-the-very-definition-of-the-life-I-have-so-lived-under-a-rock-for-not-experiencing-prom-before _type of craziness. (Guess who.)

Sometimes, UA was so fast-paced and focused on its core as a hero school that many students forgot that it held typical non-hero school events too, only it had to be prom, the one thing Todoroki didn't want and the one thing everybody else did.

Here was fate again, pushing his buttons.

Todoroki's thoughts were the same as usual as he walked through the disproportionately giant door. Those thoughts were that he had yet another average school day ahead of him, judging by the light chattering in the classroom. Ah, he was also thinking about (dreading) how a girl would inevitably ask him to prom despite him being, well, _him_, and he would be on the hot seat and umpteen times more awkward than he already was! (With the gossip that was circulating, the chances were high.)

However, the two-toned hero's racing thoughts stopped as he went over to his desk and sat down.

From his seat, Todoroki had quite an enjoyable view.

Of what? Of whom?

The weather was soothing and balmy that day, which was most likely because the sun lurked behind all the fluffy white clouds with edges gilt in the soft glow of the hidden sunbeams. One could still feel the warmth of the sun behind the cotton boundary, but it wasn't as harsh and hot as usual. A nice touch was that the cerulean sky acted as the perfect background for the entire view.

Indeed, a picturesque scene was out of the window frame. Todoroki would have stared at it and drowned out the conversations in the room if he wasn't so _distracted _by something else.

His bicolor eyes wandered to take a cursory glance to his left, two rows in front of him. There sat a young aspirant hero who made no effort to suppress his sheer passion for his commitment as he hummed a tune off the top of his head while waiting for class to start. Midoriya seemed to be in a lively bubble of his, his gaze intent on the classroom door as if wanting to conjure up their teacher.

The teen who oozed positivity had the lushest mop of forest green hair that went about in unruly wisps and curls. It was extremely tempting for Todoroki to walk right over and run his fingers through that soft-looking hair. He had to hold onto the last shreds of dignity and self-control so that he wouldn't do that and ruin his chances with him, be that as a date or let alone a friend. (They _were_ friends, right?)

Of course, Todoroki failed miserably anyway. His supposed glance of a few seconds turned into borderline stalker-like staring.

Midoriya happened to cock his head to the side, and there Todoroki met those smaragdine green eyes that shone and scintillated more brilliantly than any other emerald in existence.

If the green-haired teen noticed Todoroki staring, he didn't show it. Instead, Midoriya flashed his signature radiant smile at him, his pearly whites flashing.

It was a smile that could light up Todoroki's day and ward off all the darkness in his head time and again.

Todoroki felt something deep in his chest bubble up uncontrollably. He felt that sensation rise to his cheeks, and every fiber of him hoped that it didn't manifest as a blush. He felt his heartbeat thump ever so quickly as he panicked about what he was supposed to do.g

The two-toned teen could never in a trillion years envision having the same effect on Midoriya, but he wished he did, though he probably wouldn't even be able to light up Midoriya's day with a smile of his. After all, Todoroki seldom smiled.

In the first place, why would someone like Midoriya be fond of someone like him? Well, the green-haired teen was openly bisexual, but there was no way in hell that Todoroki would charm Midoriya.

Still, Todoroki tried his best to return the gesture.

_'I have to smile back.'_

The two-toned teen tried returning the all-important smile, but the results turned out with the line of his lips creaking up barely a centimeter before his lips awkwardly quivered.

_'I'm such an idiot.'_

Nevertheless, Midoriya seemed to appreciate the two-toned teen's effort and sent a quick wave to him before turning back to face the board since class would start any minute.

The slightest hint of red dusted Todoroki's cheeks again before he looked away to the right. His eyes landed on the only other student with red hair in Class 1-A, Kirishima, who happened to be staring in the same direction. The red-haired teen was slightly fidgety, and the naturally dynamic aspect of him seemed to be toned down.

Todoroki would have connected more of the dots if the idea of prom didn't wriggle itself back into his musings. Thinking of his—dare he say it—crush on Midoriya made him queasy and shivery. The two-toned teen groaned as he wished that Aizawa would waltz in with his chrysalis of a yellow sleeping bag and start class already.

With his arms overlapped on his desk, Todoroki opted to hide his blossoming mixed emotions by shoving his head into the crook of his arms and taking a quick five-minute nap or something. He didn't want to have these thoughts this early in the morning.

Because of that, Todoroki didn't notice why Kirishima was staring in the same direction as he had. No, the red-haired teen wasn't staring at Midoriya. Go on one seat further, and there sat a certain ash blonde, Bakugou, who was looking in the distance out the window as he unconsciously grumbled, probably thinking about _something_.

With that, Todoroki just closed his eyes and let himself drown in his musings and reflections.

Todoroki detested his inherent cold and distant aura. For once, he wanted to have a warm side and not his usual cold one (not literally, of course), but he didn't know if his warmth could go beyond his quirk's flame. Achieving friendliness was easier said than done.

Todoroki genuinely tried his best. He attempted to leave behind the seriousness that got dragged behind him. He strived to engage in small talk and conversations among people (or at least give nods and gestures here and there while everyone else was talking). The two-toned teen also recalled the magic rule of friendliness—to keep an amiable smile on his face.

The keywords here were "tried, attempted, strived, and recalled"—nothing about succeeding. Todoroki had put his best efforts into being a friendlier and more approachable person but managed to be only somewhat decent in going along with everyday communication. It wasn't as if it was his fault that he wasn't allowed to associate and mingle with others the majority of his miserable life.

People did seem very much appreciative of the notable efforts that Todoroki had taken to be a step away from aloofness. And as much as the two-toned teen wanted to, he just couldn't relay his emotions to others. He got too used to hiding behind a facade of saying that he was fine and could take it and push on.

He was fine.

Just fine.

_Was he saying that to others or just himself?_

Deep inside, he was hurting, and nobody would reach out for him. After all that time of no one coming for him, he had given up hoping and instead didn't let anyone close. But now more than ever, Todoroki was calling out for some friendship, some love. He yearned for solace from someone with whom he felt safe and secure.

_And that person, as of now, just happened to be Midoriya Izuku._

Todoroki was just so comfortable around him. Midoriya was kind and dependable to a fault but also furiously passionate. He never judged anyone on preconceptions and seemed to see and bring out the best in everyone. It was quite an experience just being classmate with the green-haired teen, one of whose mottos, or at least a motto that he followed, was that a hero always meddles where they are not 'wanted'—and that he did.

Todoroki didn't want anyone breaking past the impenetrable walls around his heart, but there Midoriya came and did so. It was like connecting with others was child's play (which it wasn't for the two-toned teen).

He found a friend and so much more in Midoriya. The two-toned teen just wished that he would be able to do the same with other people. Though, Todoroki didn't know why he couldn't establish any lasting connections with anyone else.

Well, he hardly ever talked outside of what he deemed was necessary—academic matters like recitation and group tasks and critical situations like analysis and confrontations. He could also at least reply when approached but still struggled with being comfortable with initiating and continuing conversations. The two-toned teen was just naturally taciturn and—the overused word—awkward.

With about half a minute left before class started, it wasn't as if Todoroki was going to fall asleep, but the thought of how awkward his "smile" was a while ago made him cringe himself awake.

It was then when fate finally had mercy on Todoroki, Aizawa having entered the room in his yellow cocoon, falling over the threshold of the classroom door, and crawling to the teacher's podium.

The start of homeroom kept his persistent, traitorous, lovesick thoughts at bay—at least, for the meantime.

* * *

_A/N_

_By the way, this is a canon divergence! Though the part featured in the Remedial Course Arc will happen earlier, everything else before that in canon happened as it is._


	2. the internet knows all

_A/N_

_I'm breaking it down to chapters._

* * *

Todoroki endured for roughly around two weeks, but then he couldn't take it anymore.

He had killed the following weeks after Midoriya's release from house arrest by just spending as much time with him as possible.

Quick morning greetings at the boy's bathroom—yup!

Awkward small talk before, in between, and after classes—done!

Silently eating meals with him while the others chatted—check!

Midoriya never complained as he seemed delighted at the fact that Todoroki was putting more effort into socializing.

Todoroki, on the other hand, was struggling with each passing day he spent with Midoriya. It just spurred his desire to do _something _that he probably wouldn't be able to do. But that _something _could grant him so much happiness.

Here's a brief timeline of Todoroki slowly crumbling before he finally decided to propose or something—

It started with the first day of the second trimester—when Aizawa announced that Midoriya and Bakugou were not joining them for a few days.

Todoroki was shocked, saddened, and relieved that Midoriya and Bakugou were under house arrest.

First of all, it was appalling because how could sweet Midoriya do something naughty enough to warrant him such punishment. But then, Todoroki knew the green-haired teen's propensity to make stupid decisions in the heat of the moment. Plus, Bakugou _was _a bad influence on the poor cinnamon roll.

Second, Todoroki was downcast that he wouldn't be able to see Midoriya a lot in the next few days. The only time the two-toned teen would see him was when he returned to Heights Alliance 1-A, but he was usually going back late because of his remedial classes.

Lastly, Todoroki may have felt dejected, but he couldn't help but sigh in relief. Not being in Midoriya's proximity meant that he had a higher chance of ignoring the prom, whose date grew closer and closer by the day.

And he couldn't just ignore it and pretend that he was spending more time with Midoriya just for the sake of it. (Though given a different circumstance, that would probably be the case.)

Todoroki tried forgetting about prom, neglecting all the current news about the upcoming event. As much as the two-toned teen tried, though, he couldn't ignore those delighted talks about those who proposed already. Todoroki didn't know who, but he knew that not all of them were couples. On the contrary, a lot of them were friends who wished to spend a whole night of BFFing the hell out of each other. Still, it irked the two-toned teen that everyone around him was happily getting together.

Todoroki also knew for a fact that Midoriya still didn't have anyone to go with to prom—not that he was observing or stalking Midoriya or anything.

Pshh, no.

Right?

Right!

(Keep thinking that to yourself, Todoroki.)

Todoroki also may or may not have kept hopes up. In his head, there was a spark of optimism that the nearly impossible circumstance where Midoriya and he would go to prom together somehow would come true.

Hey, a teenager could dream.

(Dreams don't come true. Whenever you think they do, that's just reality coincidentally being the same as your dreams, but the rest of the time is reality being disappointing.)

Time dragged on as that fantasy continually stirred Todoroki's insides. What was he supposed to do?

Proposing to the green-haired teen could go only two possible ways.

Midoriya could say—

_Yes._

Or.

_No._

The more delusionally optimistic, best-case scenario would be that Midoriya would accept Todoroki's proposal, and maybe they would continue as highschool sweethearts. They would live happily ever after.

The more realistically pessimistic, worst-case scenario would be that Midoriya would be so offended that he would break all ties with Todoroki right then and there, and maybe they would avoid each other for the rest of their lives. Todoroki would live the rest of his days in shame of how he ruined the cherished relationship between him and his arguably closest friend.

Todoroki groaned.

_'No, Midoriya's too much of an angel to do that. At the very least, he'll let me down easy, maybe ignore me for a couple of weeks. Then, by some miracle, we're back to how we awkwardly were.'_

Todoroki was too busy contemplating how Midoriya was too much of a cinnamon roll when the idea hit him.

He had an epiphany.

These past few weeks, Todoroki stayed silent as he let the days breeze by, but that didn't mean that his mind did too.

Oh boy, Todoroki's mind was loud, active, and _imaginative _with his fanciful daydreams. The two-toned teen would imagine scenes where he would propose to Midoriya, and the attempts would be successful. If Todoroki were to envisage the proposals with _reality _in mind like he always did, he would end up with heartbreaking and dispiriting scenes. But then, Todoroki was all like—"Screw you, reality!"—and decided to do things his way.

In his head, he wouldn't be a socially awkward idiot who had no chance of saying one coherent sentence to his crush. For some reason that Todoroki didn't want to admit, he came up with quite the romantic and endearing scenes, where Midoriya would blush like hell. His thoughts became more and more vivid as the days flew by. He reached the point where he even dreamed about it one, fateful night.

Two weeks were enough to take these seeds of so-called delusion in him and have them grow into seedlings of pure desire, slowly overriding the "realistic"—more like pessimistic—side of him that was overflowing with anxiety and trepidation.

It was then when Todoroki thought—why do these have to stay as ideas and fantasies? A daring side of him took the wheel and kicked his apprehensive one to the back seat.

_'This may be the biggest mistake of my life, but my life wouldn't as good as it is now without Midoriya, so I guess I owe it to him.'_

Of course, Todoroki still faced the facts. He would probably bail out at the last moment, especially when he already came up with a convenient plan B—or as he called it, Plan B-ail Out.

No matter what crazy plan Todoroki would draft, he still had this last-ditch excuse.

There was the fact that many people going to prom were just friends. If Midoriya were to show any discomfort and uneasiness as Todoroki led him on with a proposal or if Todoroki felt like he just couldn't do the romance—yeah, that was probably going to happen—he would pull the friend card. It would render any of Midoriya's interpretations of his actions non-romantic.

The friend card utilizes the unique and omnipotent power of friend-zoning. Any romantic mood that Todoroki might have set wouldn't stand a chance against the eternal awkwardness of a friend zone scene. It would instantaneously feel just like two pals chatting.

It wasn't as if Midoriya would feel like he was friend-zoned anyway. The green-haired teen would probably just experience relief after figuring out that he "misunderstood" the hints that Todoroki gave.

It was a genius plan.

The two-toned teen drafted his lines and even tested the words on his tongue to see if they would roll out smoothly.

"Midoriya, you're like a best friend to me, and I guess I want to go to prom with you. There's nothing better than spending a fun night with a great friend."

With that foolproof failsafe in mind, Todoroki was now comfortable with concocting all the _thrilling _schemes his creative mind could conceive.

The two-toned teen now turned to the only thing that could teach him about the delicate and frightful art of romance: the internet.

* * *

「 the internet knows all 」

* * *

"Promposal. Dot. Com."

Todoroki said the URL out loud as he typed it in. He sat on the tatami of his dorm room with his phone cradled in his hands. The two-toned teen went straight back to Heights Alliance 1-A. It was about nine in the evening. He just finished another one of the remedial classes that would inevitably lead to him retaking the exams for his provisional hero license.

Todoroki learned that there would be a more difficult challenge coming up soon, and he may or may not have overheard something about children but didn't look into it further. He would deal with that later. Right now, prom.

The page instantly switched to the homepage of the how-to-propose website that he searched.

The webpage loaded as Todoroki scanned his eyes over the details. He scrolled past all the introduction and advertisements and immediately clicked on the tab labeled "Tips" to check what they had to say. More options appeared, but the two-toned teen needed just one. He ended up selecting the one titled "Archetypal Advice" because the other ones seemed more intricate.

He desperately needed to know how to pull this all off, and he couldn't do that if he didn't understand anything.

A set of three pieces of promising advice loaded in.

_[Archetypal Advice]_

_Here are the three classic elements to master for any typical proposal!_

_[Your Smile]_

_Approach them with the most heartfelt smile you could muster. Whether you're doing something simple or fancy, a smile is the best way to show them that they mean a lot to you, that they bring joy and comfort to your heart._

_It also sets a cheerful and positive aura for the moment. A smile is powerful and can transcend all negativity, leaving the perfect mood for the proposal._

_[Your Words]_

_Speak your mind. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Emphasize how much you love and care._

_If they have a knack for humor, throw in some pick-up lines. If they appreciate a more poetic approach, artful figures of speech add a nice touch to round it all up. If they are straightforward, get straight to the point._

_You love them, and you have to let them know. Love is all about communication._

_[Your Kiss]_

_Seal the deal with a smooch. A common saying—actions speak louder than words._

_Well, a kiss is one of the most unforgettable actions to conclude a proposal. It doesn't have to be anything like those overemphasized scenes from romance movies. A quick peck on the cheek can go a long way. Of course, make sure that they look that they want one. Obtain some form of their approval or permission before anything else. Then, just enjoy and cherish the euphoric, heavenly moment as it lingers._

"Oh..."

Todoroki pressed the power button, turning his phone off.

He tried to ignore his furious blush and instead focus his attention on what he just read.

The advice was detailed, but the elements were simple. For once, Todoroki believed that he should just shut his overthinking brain up and just go for it. There was no time like the present. He just needed to muster all the confidence he had and go for it, even though he couldn't envision himself properly executing the three elements, all of which were challenging as hell for him to do..

But if he stalled for too long, he could lose his chance. Someone else could ask Midoriya, and vice versa. The green-haired teen being bisexual possibly doubled the chances of someone else asking him out, and it didn't help that he was just so—mm!

Todoroki sighed and decided that he would go for it tomorrow. With his failsafe, he had quite the fighting chance to go to prom with Midoriya one way or another, as a friend or something more.

With that comforting idea, Todoroki decided that he would sleep early for a good night's rest, knowing that he would be in a good mood the next day.

What Todoroki didn't know was the information written in the footnote at the bottom of the webpage.

If the two-toned teen had scrolled down just a tad more, he would see the footnote—

_A Word Of Warning_

_You love them, don't you? Well, if the moment comes when they aren't ready, or they need to think about it, or they aren't interested, you have to respect that. As the famous line says—if you love someone, let them go__._

* * *

「 the internet knows all 」

* * *

Bonus Scene:

"Agh! Damn, these page redirects."

Todoroki went to a different site for more info on what he should do.

"I should have checked if the application protocol was HTTP or HTTPS."

He was about to click off the page when something caught his eye. The shady website had redirected him to another website, which contained more tips.

"I guess I'll take it. More tips are fine."

The page loaded in much like the last one—a plain interface and concise text.

_[A Blissful Relationship]_

_Try these astonishing tips with your SO, you'll be amazed at the results!_

_[All About That Bass]_

_When it comes to a whole new load of pleasure, the backdoor—_

_That_ was when Todoroki decided to click off—with his face a darker shade of crimson than his hair.

Shady website, huh.

* * *

A/N

I realize that past comments won't be synced with the story anymore. Meh.

Stay safe, everyone!

~RKWQ


	3. the lunch incident

_A/N_

_Ha, what? I'm updating? Yeah, I guess so._

_I'm back on track!_

_I'm sorry. I'm still all over the place, but I hope to actually complete at least two arcs here, so enjoy! :)_

* * *

If one were to multiply the variable _a_, which stands for the—

Okay, okay. Fine!

(Cut to the chase.)

Todoroki may or may not have delayed a few more days, squirming in his seat ever so slightly at every glance he took at Midoriya. But now, he finally mustered all the courage in his being. Today was the perfect day—he had a clear schedule after class. Today was the day that he would ask Midoriya.

* * *

**「** **the lunch incident** **」**

* * *

The lunch break bell reverberated throughout the halls, signaling that long-awaited time of the day to eat. Suppressing his blush, Shouto picked up his tray of cold soba and looked for Midoriya and his friends—"The Dekusquad"—as they unanimously (_not_)proclaimed it.

He was fortunate to see an empty seat to the right of Midoriya, while Iida occupied the spot to his left. Uraraka sat directly in front of Midoriya, and the seat in front of Iida was vacant. That meant that the chair that Todoroki was about to sit on was in front of Asui. She seemed to stare into his bicolor eyes while flashing him an unreadable smirk.

_'Shoot, am I still blushing?'_

Maybe. Maybe not.

If the frog-like teen noticed anything, she didn't speak about it.

Todoroki gave a small greeting as he approached and sat down with his tray of soba—like clockwork, just as he had been doing for the past weeks.

"Hello."

His voice wavered noticeably at the last syllable.

_'Smooth, Todoroki. Smooth.'_

Luckily, no one paid it any mind.

After weeks of doing so, he still hadn't gotten used to eating with _friends_, but today was _different_, and that made him twice as nervous. Though his voice was as level and calm as ever, there was an underlying tone of anxiety, excitement, and anticipation to it that no one seemed to notice. (Asui, maybe.)

Midoriya gave him a grin.

"Hi, Todoroki-kun!"

Then, he continued to ravage his katsudon, filling his voracious appetite.

For the most part, Todoroki stayed silent, eating his soba with the deadpan face that he always didn't notice he had when doing so. He would usually manage to say a few things, and he did. Today, for the majority of the lunch break, they were talking about their favorite books. Perhaps it was the side effect of the recent quizzes in Literature and English.

Iida said that he couldn't decide which volume among his treasured and extensive encyclopedia collection was his favorite. He did say that, however, that he had fallen in love with this detective series he had picked up recently, adding that each case had so many twists and turns and red herrings that it kept even the reader in the dark and thinking as hard as they can. He emphasized all of these with several robotic chops of his hand here and there.

"It is always an enthralling ride that leads to the evildoers' just deserts and justice upheld!"

Asui mentioned that she enjoyed killing time by occasionally reading some safari guidebooks and pamphlets as well as poker strategy books for some reason. Though, she honestly admitted that she preferred watching stuff over reading stuff. She adored goofy cartoons and educational documentaries as well. Her favorite was a remarkably old one called "Fabulous Frogs"—a fun documentary that she admitted she had rewatched a few times too many.

"The things you'll watch and learn all about frogs, kero."

Uraraka squealed about all the affordable, sci-fi ebooks she had grown up reading, stressing her fondness for space exploration and alien discovery ones. The fantastic themes seemed to always transport to a new, fascinating world away from her modest life here on Earth. The descriptions could fuel her imagination, and she was content with all the supernatural scenes that she interpreted herself.

"Aghgha, the spaceships are so fancy!"

Midoriya went into total fanboy mode (cute as hell) as he muttered (adorably, mind you) about one of his beloved series of superhero comics from the era before quirks. He said that he had no regrets paying a decent amount of yen he saved up to buy those rare, old copies. He had to download scanned versions from online archives if he couldn't find a specific issue, but he seemed to live on the refreshing, action-packed plot. It was so unique because of the distinctive way of creative thinking that people had at the time of its creation when quirks didn't exist yet.

"There's just so many superheroes with so many powers, but even those who don't still kick butt! And there are so many issues that they can last you a lifetime!"

Todoroki practiced enough to be able to casually speak while keeping eye contact, which was an impressive milestone for him.

He briefly mentioned that, like Midoriya, he recently had taken a liking to this comic series from before the dawn of quirks. It was a sequel to this wondrous, almost anime-like cartoon series his older brother Natsuo had introduced to him. The easy-to-follow storyline was elegant and well-executed, the only form of supernatural power being the manipulation of the classical four elements. It was nothing like the overcomplicated system of ever-evolving quirks they had at the present day, but it still had so much semblance to how their world today worked. Something about the realistic portrayal of the elements of arrogance, pride, and corruption alluded him.

(Of course, Todoroki's dialogue didn't go like that paragraph. It was more like—)

"I like both the cartoon and comic series. I can't decide on my favorite episode or issue, but my favorite character was, uh, Zuko? There's just something about him."

Midoriya laughed wholeheartedly and crept away to whisper something to his other friends, going about them one by one. They all chuckled lightly at whatever it is that he said to them.

When the Midoriya returned to his seat, Todoroki didn't notice that he had an unconscious smile plastered on his face, though the others didn't either because it was such tiny a smile (but it was still there).

"Midoriya, what did you say?"

His tone wasn't accusing, but he was a hundred percent sure that he said something about him.

Midoriya adorably twiddled his fingers, not meeting Todoroki's calculating gaze.

"Uh, nothing?"

(Midoriya, having watched the same series before, explained to them about Zuko's scar—but nothing about the whole father issues thing for obvious reasons.)

Todoroki almost pouted, but he restrained himself. Anyways, it didn't look like Midoriya was going to budge and tell him anything anytime soon.

And so the chattering continued, Todoroki managing to throw in a few more sentences than he usually did—an improvement. They talked about how the new trimester was going, how Aizawa's sleeping bag was a new shade of yellow, how life was going.

But then, the current topic that they managed to land on and discuss was now _prom_.

As a result, Todoroki shut himself up the rest of the time.

Iida raised his right hand as a mechanical arm would.

"I have decided whom I wish to invite to prom quite a while back! I can envision the friendship and enjoyment that we would experience together. I even devised a plan already!"

"Woah, Iida-kun, that's awesome!"

Midoriya was ecstatic and happy for the bespectacled teen as his hands flailed in excitement, the fervid smile on his face completing his enthusiasm.

Todoroki bit his lip.

_'Oh, hell, why was he so cute!'_

Uraraka nudged Iida.

"Yeah, if only we had the initiative you have!"

But then, a smirk crept up to her face as the brunette teen nudged him again.

"So, who is it!"

Iida tried to contain a stutter.

"Well, t-that information is technically unnecessary to the disclosure of my flawless plan!"

"Hmph, excuses."

"Then, would you like to share any of your interests, Uraraka-san?"

Uraraka crossed her arms with a huff.

"I'm not telling if you're not!"

Iida decided to redirect the unwanted question somewhere else—or rather someone else.

"What about the others? Do you have anyone who caught your attention? Midoriya? Asui? Todoroki?"

Todoroki didn't answer and instead opted to slurp a generous helping of soba with the most nonchalant expression he could manage.

Asui had a finger on her chin as she answered.

"Kero, I do, but you're all keeping it a secret."

She then turned to look at Midoriya, who broke into a sweat. He instantly scratched his head before proceeding to sputter—_a lot_.

"Well, I-I— You see, I did. I thought. Maybe! But I had some. Someone caught my eye. But then, someone else asked me, but— Ah, I don't—MMPH."

Midoriya shut himself up with a rather large piece of katsudon.

Todoroki would have internally laughed at Midoriya's perpetual cuteness if it weren't for that one phrase that the two-toned teen focused on out of the whole segment of rambling.

_'Someone else asked me, he said.'_

Todoroki tuned out the din of everyone clamoring about how it all happened and who asked Midoriya.

The two-toned teen stopped mid-slurp, noodles comically hanging from his mouth. He just gazed at his soba, watching silently as the buckwheat noodles seemed to stare back mockingly. The aching pull of dread in the pit of his stomach hung heavy with the swirling thoughts of the regret of letting his one chance go out the window.

_'I'm too late. I'm stupid! I should have done something earlier. I lost my chance. I should have—'_

Todoroki's chain of thought broke when Midoriya spoke up again.

Midoriya waved his hands frantically in his best attempt to get them to simmer down.

"Woah, guys, calm down! It's not that of a big deal."

Todoroki frowned ever so lightly.

_'Yes, it's a big deal—for me, at least.'_

No one said anything aloud, and Midoriya took that as his time to explain the details—but not before a peal of awkward chuckling.

"Okay, so it was Hatsume Mei who asked me. And don't freak out, but I, uh— Well, I said no to her."

_'Yes. I. Am. Freaking. Out. That was terrifying!'_

Like everyone else's, Todoroki's eyes widened, albeit not in shock but in relief that Midoriya was still no man's land and not someone else's territory.

Of course, save for Midoriya, the members of the Dekusquad had their mouths wide open in silent Os, quiet only because they wanted Midoriya to continue. Todoroki was no exception, his jaw already slack, but his thoughts were by no means silent.

_'Would you say no to me? Would you reject me, too?'_

For every sentence that Midoriya uttered, his brain consistently had a response, while his mouth kept itself shut.

Midoriya was grateful for the silence and did proceed with the story.

"So, you know how the sports festival was one heck of a spiral."

_'That's an understatement.'_

"But I'm thankful that I was able to get to know a lot more about a lot of people!"

_'Including me?'_

"One of them was Hatsume. We hit it off after the festival."

_'Just like we did?'_

"I—"

It was then when Iida spoke up.

"Forgive the intrusion, everyone, but I just noticed! We lost track of time. The next class will start in six minutes!"

The ring of the five-minute bell echoed throughout the entire school.

"Five minutes! And our classroom is at the complete opposite end of the—"

He stopped talking and proceeded to stack everyone's used trays and plates in a neat pile with the chopsticks and glasses on top (except for Midoriya's since he seemed to be in a race against time to finish the rest of his big bowl of katsudon). With a turbo burst of his engines, he took off in a breakneck dash and left everything at the area for used dishes at the opposite end of the room.

Uraraka looked around them, noticing the absence of a crowded cafeteria.

"I didn't even notice people were leaving. The cafeteria's almost empty."

Asui watched as Iida sprinted back to them.

"Kero, what happened to no running in the halls?"

Iida waved her off as he seemed to continue to jog in place.

"We must leave now if we want to arrive on time for our Mathematics class! The classroom is a respectable distance away!"

Uraraka pouted.

"I wouldn't mind missing a few minutes."

She said it under her breath, so no one heard.

Meanwhile, Midoriya still had a few cutlets of pork in his bowl. Todoroki didn't know what possessed him, but his mouth moved, and a confident voice rang out.

"You guys can go on ahead. I'll wait here for Midoriya, and we'll catch up with you."

Iida raised a hand to counter, but Todoroki beat him to the chase.

"You said we're running late? Go! Midoriya and I will just take a minute or two."

At that, Iida, Uraraka, and Asui didn't hesitate to head for the doors and bolt out to whichever direction their classroom was. They were surprised at Todoroki's sudden mien of confidence and resolution, but they had no time for that. Todoroki was just as shocked, and he wanted to slap himself in the face multiple times to knock some sanity back into himself.

Moments later, Midoriya continued to hound the rest of his katsudon in a few big bites. It took him a little more time, but he managed to swallow the rest of it in an impressive succession of big gulps. Unfazed by Todoroki's episode of rare boldness outside of hero work, he finished his food and then turned to the two-toned teen.

"Todoroki-kun, you didn't need to wait for me. It's my fault that I was all talking, no eating."

Todoroki waved him off.

"No, it's okay. I just wanted to say something to you, but there's certainly no time now. Can you meet me later at six?"

Midoriya paused but nodded.

"Uh, yeah!? But where? What for?"

"At the dorm courtyard. And I'll tell you there."

The two then wordlessly proceeded to run with all their might so that they wouldn't be late for Mathematics.

* * *

**「** **the lunch incident** **」**

* * *

"EXTRA HOMEWORK FOR YOU TWO!"

Midoriya pouted as Todoroki sighed, both of them ignoring that piercing stare of Iida that carried a thousand scoldings in those smoldering, red irises.

Oh.

And.

Did anyone mention that they had a pop quiz?

Yeah, okay.

* * *

**「** **the lunch incident** **」**

* * *

Bonus Scene:

(I usually write the bonus scene when I'm in an undesirable state of mind, aka right before I sleep. I haven't actually come up with a bonus scene for this one, but I'll think of something later.)

* * *

_A/N_

_AH, I will update again as soon as possible!_

_Oop, and I realized something. Past comments from before the rewrite won't be synchronized with the current chapters anymore, so don't think much about it if you see how they don't match._


End file.
